The Fair Botanists: The bewitching and fascinating Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year pick full of scandal and intrigue
Aug 2021 · Sold by Hodder & Stoughton
3.0star
1 review
Ebook
384
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
*SELECTED AS THE WATERSTONES SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022*
'Compelling, fascinating . . . A cracking good read' Val McDermid
'An evocative, enjoyable portrait of 1820s Edinburgh' Sunday Times
'Lush, seductive' Daily Mail
'Completely enchanting' Scotsman
'A beautiful tale of scandal and intrigue' Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora
***
Could one rare plant hold the key to a thousand riches?
It's the summer of 1822 and Edinburgh is abuzz with rumours of King George IV's impending visit. In botanical circles, however, a different kind of excitement has gripped the city. In the newly-installed Botanic Garden, the Agave Americana plant looks set to flower - an event that only occurs once every few decades.
When newly widowed Elizabeth arrives in Edinburgh to live with her late husband's aunt Clementina, she's determined to put her unhappy past in London behind her. As she settles into her new home, she becomes fascinated by the beautiful Botanic Garden which borders the grand house and offers her services as an artist to record the rare plant's impending bloom. In this pursuit, she meets Belle Brodie, a vivacious young woman with a passion for botany and the lucrative, dark art of perfume creation.
Belle is determined to keep both her real identity and the reason for her interest the Garden secret from her new friend. But as Elizabeth and Belle are about to discover, secrets don't last long in this Enlightenment city . . .
And when they are revealed, they can carry the greatest of consequences . . .
***
'Dazzling, original, full of wonderful characters' Katie Fforde
'An absolute treat for fans of historical fiction and rich storytelling' Red Magzine
'Lively and generous-hearted, with an array of utterly engaging characters, this enchanting novel reads like a warm tonic for the soul' Mary Paulson-Ellis
'As rare and lush as the Agave flower itself, The Fair Botanists is a richly realised, transportive delight' Rachel Rhys
'Beautiful . . . Every sentence is a gift. If you love The Doll Factory or The Binding, you'll love this' Miranda Dickinson
'Delightfully original, sensuous historical fiction, led by a charge of female characters as captivating and complex as the brightest of botanical flowers' Cari Thomas
'Compelling, fascinating . . . A cracking good read' Val McDermid
'An evocative, enjoyable portrait of 1820s Edinburgh' Sunday Times
'Lush, seductive' Daily Mail
'Completely enchanting' Scotsman
'A beautiful tale of scandal and intrigue' Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora
***
Could one rare plant hold the key to a thousand riches?
It's the summer of 1822 and Edinburgh is abuzz with rumours of King George IV's impending visit. In botanical circles, however, a different kind of excitement has gripped the city. In the newly-installed Botanic Garden, the Agave Americana plant looks set to flower - an event that only occurs once every few decades.
When newly widowed Elizabeth arrives in Edinburgh to live with her late husband's aunt Clementina, she's determined to put her unhappy past in London behind her. As she settles into her new home, she becomes fascinated by the beautiful Botanic Garden which borders the grand house and offers her services as an artist to record the rare plant's impending bloom. In this pursuit, she meets Belle Brodie, a vivacious young woman with a passion for botany and the lucrative, dark art of perfume creation.
Belle is determined to keep both her real identity and the reason for her interest the Garden secret from her new friend. But as Elizabeth and Belle are about to discover, secrets don't last long in this Enlightenment city . . .
And when they are revealed, they can carry the greatest of consequences . . .
***
'Dazzling, original, full of wonderful characters' Katie Fforde
'An absolute treat for fans of historical fiction and rich storytelling' Red Magzine
'Lively and generous-hearted, with an array of utterly engaging characters, this enchanting novel reads like a warm tonic for the soul' Mary Paulson-Ellis
'As rare and lush as the Agave flower itself, The Fair Botanists is a richly realised, transportive delight' Rachel Rhys
'Beautiful . . . Every sentence is a gift. If you love The Doll Factory or The Binding, you'll love this' Miranda Dickinson
'Delightfully original, sensuous historical fiction, led by a charge of female characters as captivating and complex as the brightest of botanical flowers' Cari Thomas
Ratings and reviews
3.0
1 review
About the author
Sara Sheridan is an Edinburgh-based writer of over 20 books including cosy crime noir mysteries set in 1950s Britain and historical novels based on the real-life stories of late Georgian and early Victorian explorers. She has also written non-fiction, as well as books for children.
Sara has been named one of the Saltire Society's 365 most influential Scottish women, past and present.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
